The Xperia 5 III is here. The third generation of Sony’s high-end mid-range phone was unveiled alongside the flagship Xperia 1 III at an event in Japan, but it shares many key specs with its more expensive sibling.
The device was touted as a compact version of this phone, offering a portable and pocket-sized version without sacrificing power.
However, even though the phone officially launched on April 14, we still don’t have any information on when any of the new Xperia phones will be released. Here’s everything you need to know about the Xperia 5 III.
Sony Xperia 5 III release date
The Xperia 5 III was officially unveiled at Sony’s official event on April 14, 2021, alongside the high-end Xperia 1 III and the more affordable Xperia 10 III. Here’s how to review the event if you missed it.
All three devices will be available from “early summer 2021”, but a more precise launch date is not yet known.
It’s a surprise to see the Xperia 5 III so early in the year, given Sony’s tendency to launch the phone after the Xperia 1 line is already on the market. For context, the Xperia 5 II was released in October 2020.
Sony Xperia 5 III price
Interestingly, Sony decided not to reveal the price of the Xperia 5 III at the official launch event. So our best guess still comes from what you might expect to pay for the previous two generations at launch.
The original Xperia 5 started at a price of 699 dollars, before the second-gen model took it to 799 dollars. We’d be surprised if Sony dropped the price of the Xperia 5 III, although another hike is possible given the move to a 120Hz display.
We will update this section when the official price is revealed.
Sony Xperia 5 III Specifications and Features
Sony’s Xperia 5 III is a compact version of the flagship Xperia 1 III, so it has a lot of features in common. The most important is the change to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset, the most advanced in the line, which supports 5G.
The Xperia 5 II already offered 5G, but it’s great to see the flagship become the most affordable model.
The other key update comes with the display, which now comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s just Full HD instead of 4K on the Xperia 1 II, but it seems like a smart compromise on that smaller 6.1-inch OLED display.
Sony has retained the tall, narrow 21: 9 aspect ratio of the phone from last year, as well as 240Hz tactile sampling for fast response time.
There’s a lot of commonality when it comes to the cameras too: they both have a triple rear setup, consisting of a 12 MP main snapper supported by an 8 MP ultra-wide lens and an 8 MP periscope. MP.
Sony has given up on the telephoto lens of previous models, and the only thing the Xperia 5 III lacks is the 3D iTOF (time-of-flight) sensor. That means you’ll have to settle for continuous autofocus rather than real-time autofocus, but what effect that will have remains to be seen.
The two phones also can’t be separated when it comes to battery capacity, with a 4,500mAh larger cell than we’ve seen in the latest Xperia phones.
Sony also advertises the long battery life, which it claims is able to maintain excellent performance for up to three years. There’s no wireless charging yet, but the 30W adapter that comes in the box claims it can hit 50% of its capacity in 30 minutes.
Besides the USB-C port that you will need for this, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sony is one of the last manufacturers to offer this connector on a high-end phone, so it’s worth paying attention to.
As for the color options, the green that appears in the official images will be joined in Europe by the black and pink models.
We’ll update this article as soon as we know more about the Xperia 5 III. In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Sony phones and the best phones in general to see what you’ll be up against.
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